I was recently in hospital after needing to have surgery. I wasn't able to eat for over three days. I had to fast, until surgery. I couldn't even have a glass of water.

I'd never felt like this before, under so much stress and pressure, just wanting to eat something.

When I got an egg sandwich, it was an experience, I'd never had before. I could describe it as heavenly.

"Hunger and malnutrition are self-perpetuating. They sap a person’s energy, strangling mental ability, exacting a price on health and making it more difficult to learn, work and lead productive lives. This is one of the most sobering facts about hunger; it steals life from the vulnerable."

https://www.compassion.com/poverty/hunger.htm

What do people think about this issue? Why is there a lack of concern shown by some people?

Dear Nathan,

You ask why is there limited compassion for those without
food? There's limited compassion for those in poverty.
And for that -
there's probably a variety of reasons, depending on our
values and the way we view things. We tend to judge
other people. There are people who believe
that the poor are in poverty because they prefer to live on
"handouts." Others feel that everyone has the same chance to
get ahead. If those who get ahead can claim credit for their
success, then those who fall behind must, logically, be
blamed for their failures. The poor are therefore supposed
to need incentives to work, rather than help at the expense
of the taxpayer.

With feelings of compassion and empathy what matters most is our
own values and our choices. Empathy may be limited sometimes, but
only if we want it to be that way.

To NathanJ. I think you've been given a real eye opener with regard to hunger. In most people that I see a lack of compassion, I think there's an issue of not knowing how bad it is. Not experienced it for themselves. We can come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons why to support or not support the things do or don't support. But if you know how bad it is to be hungry, then you can't take that away from yourself.

One other issue that I hear is that people don't want to give to the poor because it's assumed that the money will be spent on alochol or on drugs. So instead they do nothing. But on the other hand if you know how bad hunger can be, you won't let that stand in the way. There are other solutions.

Thanks for sharing your concern and for putting a spotlight on hunger.

//There are other solutions.//

Yeah, you can tithe your money to a church, let those fatcats take their cut before they 'generously' pass on a few dimes to the poor.

Or you could give directly.

http://givedirectly.org/

Hi there Toni LAVIS...

I read of that Site you kindly sent us all, as a way to send money 'directly' to the hungry, in order to remove the temptation of the Churches from getting their hands on the contributions? A most laudable concept for sure, and I do understand a small percentage of the funds raised, for administrative purposes, must also be set aside.

Nevertheless I've always been suspicious of 'all fund raisers', so I suspect they're all tarred with the same brush, you just have to take a punt and hope for the best? Am I right, or have you had some personal experience with these people? Any help or advise you may have with this group would be of some considerable assistance. Thanks Toni.

To Toni Lavis. There are other solutions n then giving money if the concern is what the person will spend it on. If a person has the time and the ability, giving food instead of money to someone begging for food is an option. For those who don't have that time to have extra food on hand and to distribute it to those they see on the street, another option is gift cards. About as much as a person would donate (whatever they are comfortable with) possibly a gift card to a cheep restruant (like a fast food chain) or a gift card to a local grocery store.

There are other solutions regardless of the excuses people might have to not have compassion on those hungry on the street.

// If a person has the time and the ability, giving food instead of money to someone begging for food is an option. For those who don't have that time to have extra food on hand and to distribute it to those they see on the street, another option is gift cards. About as much as a person would donate (whatever they are comfortable with) possibly a gift card to a cheep restruant (like a fast food chain) or a gift card to a local grocery store.//

Both excellent forms of charity, NNS. :)

But whatever you do, don't donate to canned food drives:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbYInILDj6Q

offered to buy a meal for a beggar outside McDonalds once. He told me he would not eat that American garbage. Also had pleasure of delivering a bag of rice to some folk in Indonesia. They were so thankful for so little. Makes you wonder.

I always manage to find some money in my purse and
I give what I can. I also don't ask them on what
they're going to spend it. I don't feel it's my
place to do that.

Toni seems bitter that people can do what they like with their money. No doubt he overlooks the likelihood that people who tithe are more than likely to give far more to the poor than god deniers etc. In actual fact the god deniers usually luv to spend other peoples money. I wonder how much the $300000 to $400000 a year marxist at the abc give away.

I think that the answer lies in donor fatigue.

While I have done my share of soup kitchen work, door knocking for red-shield, and have regular contributions to half a dozen charities, I am now finding that this gives me no immunity from the 10 or so phone calls at night or being accosted at shopping malls for further donations so much so that have turned off the ringer on my phone with a message to phone my mobile, have ad blockers on my PC and a sign at my door listing my present charities and advising door knockers to leave their material at the door.

Charity has now become such a profitable industry that it has become a scourge, and those that do donate are pursued for ever more donations until they turn away completely.

With our generous welfare system, the only reason for anyone in Australia to be hungry is self caused.

I found an interesting article in our local newspaper
this week. It attracted my attention with the heading:

"10 Years of Fighting Hunger."

It went to tell us that "In 2018 the "Feed Melbourne" Appeal is
marking 10 years of fighting hidden hunger in our community.
Over the past decade we've raised $4 million - and every dollar
of that has gone to one of more than 200 charities."

"Your donations have gone towards fridges, freezers, kitchen
equipment and vans to help charities make the most of rescued
food that would have otherwise gone into landfill."

"Leader Community News and food rescue charity Fare-Share
started the appeal in 2008 to address the growing issue of
hidden hunger across Melbourne suburbs."

FareShare chief executive Marcus Godinho said, thanks to the
Feed Melbourne Appeal, food charities were now able to rescue
more surplus food, serve more hot, healthy meals and make up
more hampers for families that have fallen on hard times."

But while charities are now better equipped, rising living
costs mean the need for food relief has grown. Foodbank
Australia's 2017 Hunger Report revealed a 10 percent increase
in the number of people seeking food relief over the previous
year.

Each month apparently more than 65,000 Australians were turned
away from food charities which couldn't keep up with growing
demand, the report revealed.

Feed Melbourne Appeal chief executive Katherine Gokavi Whaley
said this year's appeal aimed to raise $1 million this year -
enough to make two million meals.

If anyone wishes to support the appeal they can donate at the
check-out at Woolworths stores or make cheques out to -

"FareShare Foundation" and mail to:

Feed Melbourne Appeal,
1 - 7 South Audley Street
Abbotsford Vic 3067

Newman's Own Foundation is once again supporting this appeal.

didn't Bob Hawke make some comment about no child being found in poverty by ?. I doubt whether as a country we are willing to face the truth as to why we have poverty in Aussie. Just easier like with education system to bang on about 'disadvantage' and needing more tax payer money. The more money they have put into education the more dunses that have been produced.

I have seen, thankfully not experienced, poverty and hunger in countries I have visited. The problem in Australia is more (not completely) along the lines of what Hasbeen said. We have one of the best systems, in the world, for looking after street people. Between the states we have food vans with volunteers who go to these people and serve them good nutritious meals for which I am sure they appreciate. Then we have another service which is a mobile bathroom so they can bathe and be refreshed and do their laundry at the same time. Then there are those who offer permanent shelter whenever the street person feels the need to avail themselves of this offering. I think the question might be a little short sighted. Sure there are those of us who 'don't see' things which are right in front of us. I think we are allowed some indiscretions now and then. But 'on the whole', I think we do OK for the homeless who want to be helped. As for those with a chip on their shoulder or an axe to grind, I prefer to leave them to their own devices as they 'choose' to be where they are, knowing full well there are people and systems in place to assist them yet they choose not to avail themselves of them for whatever reasons.

The more ngos that benifit from poverty the more will be created.

I really liked the previous message, about the gift cards